A petition with more than 1000 signatures to save Champion Rd will be lodged to parliament this week

Williamstown locals are gearing up for a fight with the state government to save a road slated to be closed as part of level crossing removals.

Residents in Melbourne’s west are fighting to keep a road slated for closure as part of level crossing removal works open fearing its loss will have “severe ramifications”.

And the fight to save Champion Rd in Williamstown is set to reach Spring St, with a petition with 1000 signatures being lodged at parliament.

Keep Champion Road Open spokesperson Gill Gannon said traffic on existing roads would “only get heavier” if Champion Rd was removed completely.

“If the [level] crossing needs to be removed then so be it but remove it in the way that you have done all the other crossings which is road or rail over or under,” she said.

“We don’t oppose the removal of the crossing, we oppose the closure of a key road. Do the same for us, rather than a complete blockage and cut off two communities.

“In closing that road the existing roads we have in the area are Maddox, Mason, Melbourne and Kororoit Creek and they are only going to get even heavier.

“This is the road that the locals use to get kids to and from school, activities, people who use Williamstown beach and go to the cemetery along Champion Rd.”

This comes after a reaction from locals last year, who gathered in their hundreds to protest the decision and raise awareness of the ramifications.

The potential of extending Akuna Dr and connecting it from Champion Rd to Maddox Rd was flagged by the state government in making this announcement.

But questions over the chances of this happening have been raised, after an application for a new business district to be built at the vacant lots at the end of Akuna Dr was lodged with Hobsons Bay Council.

The Champion Rd crossing is one of seven along the Werribee rail line the state government plans to remove by 2030.

Level Crossing Removal Project program director Travis Edmonds said raising or lowering the Champion Rd rail line would “interfere with the Newport facilities and limit options for potential future rail projects while a road bridge or underpass would involve the significant destruction of businesses and homes”.

“Three more level crossings will be removed and two will be closed to make the Werribee line level crossing free by 2030, changing the way people live, work and travel and paving the way for more train services,” he said.